Today the US Surgeon General has given one of his stiffest warnings concerning the use of E-Cigarettes among teens and adolescences. Since 2010, the US has witnessed the rise in popularity of E-Cigarettes. The use of these products by youths and young adults has propelled past the use of hookahs, cigarettes, and chewing tobacco products. What do we know about these products? One thing we know is that these products utilize nicotine. The deleterious effects of nicotine use have been long known in the medical community.

Are you suffering from PBS? This neologism is drawing much attention throughout the medical community. PBS or "Physician Burnout Syndrome" is characterized by an acquired low energy, decreased motivation, and/or loss of enthusiasm towards the medical profession. This term can also be applied to students in the healthcare field. Researchers at the University of Manchester and the University of Southampton have found that current approaches to dealing with burnout in doctors on an individual case–by–case basis is not adequate and PBS should instead be undertaken with organisation–wide initiatives.

The CDC states excessive alcohol use led to approximately 88,000 deaths and 2.5 million years of potential life lost (YPLL) each year in the United States from 2006 – 2010, shortening the lives of those who died by an average of 30 years. On Wednesday, December 7, 2016, from 8-9am PST Dr. J.K. Gude will discuss Alcohol and Amphetamine Abuse. Please review the time in your international location for this presentation.

When a person has an increased tendency to develop blood clots we call this condition as having an hypercoagulable state. On Wednesday, November 23, 2016, from 8-9am PST Dr. J.K. Gude will speak on the causes of an Hypercoagulable State.

Please review the time in your international location for this ONLINE presentation.

While World Toilet Day was observed last week, we felt compelled to reiterate the important of clean sanitation. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 600 million urbanites live in low-quality shelters or other areas plagued by overcrowding and inadequate provision of sanitation services, including potable water and safe waste disposal. USAID states that "1 in 3 of the world’s 7.4 billion people do not have access to a toilet." A lack of toilets promoting poor sanitary conditions is a significant cause of continued poor health, spreading of diseases, and illnesses in developing countries. Both USAID and the WHO agree that by investing in ways to improve sanitation, we can help prevent childhood diarrhea, which is a principal cause of under-5 mortality.

According to USAID: "Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of child mortality and accounts for 15 percent of annual deaths in children under 5 – or more than 2,500 deaths per day. Pneumonia is easily diagnosable and treatable; the problem is making sure children in need have access to quality care and services."USAID Global Health#fightpneumonia

Hey volunteers, for those of you that are thinking about vaping here is some additional news for you to consider. As far as many scientists are concerned, the consequences from vaping are still unknown. Many believe that in approximately 10-20 years, we will begin to understand the actual effects that vaping has on the body. That being said, a recent article concerning vaping is presented here for your review.

"Los Angeles area teens who reported regular e-cigarette use were more likely to be smoking cigarettes 6 months later,